Human Impact Project

Shirly Guardado, a Honduran immigrant married to Army Sgt. Ayssac Correa, was arrested by ICE agents in a parking lot on March 13 after being lured out under false pretenses by plainclothes officers claiming to be Department of Public Safety. Despite having a work permit and clean check-in record with immigration officials, and despite her husband's military service and pending sponsorship for her green card, Guardado was detained for nearly three months. The couple had also applied for military parole in place, but USCIS denied the application citing her expedited deportation order, and her subsequent ICE request sat unprocessed for over a year. On May 30—her 28th birthday—she was deported to Honduras, separated from her 10-month-old son and active-duty military husband.

Julio Noriega, a 54-year-old U.S. citizen born in Chicago, was arrested by ICE agents on January 31, 2025, after buying pizza in Berwyn. Agents surrounded him, handcuffed him, and confiscated his wallet containing his ID and Social Security card before transporting him to an ICE processing center in Broadview. He was detained overnight without being questioned about his citizenship status and released only after agents examined his identification. In March 2025, attorneys from the National Immigrant Justice Center and ACLU of Illinois filed a federal court lawsuit alleging that ICE violated the Castañón Nava settlement agreement by arresting Noriega and at least 21 others without proper warrants since January 2025. The lawsuit alleges constitutional and immigration law violations including arrests without probable cause and detention orders created after people were already detained.

Yolanda Perez-Magallón, a 50-year-old undocumented immigrant and caregiver for her 21-year-old daughter with cancer, was detained by ICE agents on February 24 as a collateral arrest during an immigration sweep targeting her son Jonathan. She was held for nearly two weeks before being released on a $1,500 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on April 10.

Border Patrol agent Shane Millan pleaded guilty in federal court to telling multiple women to expose their breasts during virtual interviews as a condition for entering the United States. Millan admitted to sexually coercing at least four women during interviews in August 2023, falsely claiming the exposure was part of a legitimate search. He faces up to two years in prison and a $200,000 fine at his July 7 sentencing.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Elmer Flores on March 9 after he dropped off his pregnant wife and children at a Mecklenburg County health office for a nutrition program appointment. According to advocacy group Siembra NC, Flores had no criminal record and is being held at a detention facility in Georgia.

Jensy Machado, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was detained by ICE agents on March 5, 2025, while driving to work in Manassas. The agents were searching for another man with a deportation order who had provided Machado's home address. Machado was handcuffed and questioned about his immigration status before being released after showing his driver's license.

Issa Salma Baouna, a 49-year-old green-card holder from Niger, was denied reentry to the United States at John F. Kennedy International Airport on March 6 after CBP determined he was inadmissible due to a prior removal order from 2022. Baouna had been ordered removed following an arrest for assault and visa overstay, and was paroled back into the country multiple times in 2023. After voluntarily returning to Niger, he contracted malaria that led to kidney failure. His wife left the U.S. with their two children to reunite with him.

Bryan David Tasiguano Leon, an Ecuadorian citizen, was arrested by ICE on March 4, 2025, following his release from NYPD custody despite an ICE detainer request. He had been arrested by NYPD on February 14, 2026, on suspicion of assault. An immigration judge issued a final deportation order against him on February 27, 2025, and federal authorities designated him a public safety risk. He is scheduled for deportation to Ecuador.

Yunseo Chung, a 21-year-old permanent resident and Columbia University undergraduate, was pursued by ICE in March 2025 following her arrest for trespassing at a pro-Palestine demonstration on Barnard College campus in early 2025, for which she paid a fine. ICE searched her dorm room and her parents' home but did not locate her. She filed suit against the Trump Administration alleging violation of her First Amendment rights. On June 5, 2025, U.S. District Judge Naomi Buchwald issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting ICE from arresting or detaining Chung and rejected the government's motion to dismiss, noting that ICE failed to issue her a notice to appear in immigration court. Chung subsequently returned to court on May 29, 2025, seeking to consolidate the protective order while her constitutional case proceeds.

Jonathan, an Australian who had lived on the US east coast for nearly a decade with a valid work visa, was detained at Houston border control in March while returning from Australia after attending his sister's memorial service. Border officials accused him of carrying drugs and possessing two phones despite his denials, demanded his phone passcode, and when he asked to speak to a lawyer, told him he had no rights. During the encounter, an officer called him "retarded" and later stated "Trump is back in town; we're doing things the way we should have always been doing them." Officials claimed his statement that he lived in the US indicated intent to stay permanently and thus invalidated his visa, despite his having left and re-entered the country approximately 20 times previously on the same visa class. After being held for over 36 hours with minimal communication, his visa was cancelled, he was banned from entering the US for five years, and he was deported to Australia. His American partner, apartment, work studio, and clients remain in the US, and he is now couch surfing in Australia.

A.G., a Venezuelan national with Temporary Protected Status and a pending asylum application, was detained by ICE agents during a traffic stop in Orange County while driving to work. Despite holding a valid driver's license, work permit, and Social Security card, he was handcuffed and held in ICE custody for several days. During detention, ICE repeatedly pressured him to self-deport. He was released on his own recognizance with assistance from Rep. Anna Eskamani and legal advocates.

Activists in Southern California distributed flyers revealing the names, photos, and personal information of ICE and HSI agents, with the flyers written in Spanish and posted in Los Angeles neighborhoods. Federal authorities, including the DHS and FBI, condemned the action and launched an investigation, warning that those responsible could face legal consequences for obstructing law enforcement operations.

Federal agents pepper-sprayed and tackled 80-year-old defense attorney Doug Hayes during a confrontation in Santa Barbara on February 21st. Hayes had approached agents who were detaining a man in his 20s, concerned for the detainee's safety, and was sprayed when he tried to help. Hayes was not arrested or charged and has expressed interest in pursuing legal action against the agents.

Maksym Chernyak, a 44-year-old Ukrainian man who entered the U.S. legally under a humanitarian parole program in August 2024, was arrested in January 2025 following an assault charge and placed in ICE custody at Krome detention center in Miami. In the days before his death, Chernyak reported fever, chest pain, irregular heartbeat, and blood in his stool, but was not seen by a doctor for several days and his elevated blood pressure went untreated. On February 18, 2025, while in an overcrowded hold room with approximately 30 other people, he experienced a severe medical crisis—suffering multiple seizures, vomiting blood, and becoming unresponsive. When cellmates screamed for help, staff took 15 to 20 minutes to respond and initially accused him of drug use; toxicology reports later confirmed he had not been intoxicated. He was transported to a hospital where he was declared brain dead and died two days later. His wife said he had been in good health before detention and was pressured to sign documents without a translator.

A 21-year-old Venezuelan man, Mayfreed Durán-Arape, was sent to Guantánamo Bay as part of a Trump administration policy to relocate detained migrants to the military base. DHS claimed he was a gang member. A review found he had no criminal record beyond unauthorized entry. His mother disputes the administration's characterization of a detention center altercation that led to his conviction.

A U.S. Border Patrol agent, Andrew Josiah Segura, was charged with assault and evidence tampering following an incident on February 19, 2025, in Santa Teresa, New Mexico. The charges allege he assaulted a handcuffed detainee and physically threatened CBP employees while performing official duties.

Sergey Kostenyuk, a Ukrainian refugee who came to the U.S. as a child and is a legal permanent resident with a green card, was arrested by ICE agents posing as customers interested in buying a chicken coop. He was detained for over two months based on two 2018 felony convictions for theft, but was eventually released when a judge ruled he did not meet the federal criteria for deportation.

Harpinder Singh Chauhan, a 56-year-old British entrepreneur and father of two on an E-2 investor visa who had lived in the United States since 2016, was detained by ICE on February 11 despite lawful presence and serious medical conditions including diabetes, pancreatitis, asthma, and heart issues. He was shackled and transported seven hours to Krome North, where he spent nearly four days in overcrowded, freezing processing cells with no beds, showers, or privacy. ICE officers confiscated his insulin and asthma inhaler, which his family had delivered to the facility, and denied him prescribed medications and his dietary regimen. He contracted a respiratory illness amid an uncontained tuberculosis outbreak. At FDC, officers locked him in a cell without a functioning toilet or air conditioning and threatened him when he requested to move. On April 20, after nearly a week without insulin, Chauhan collapsed while standing in a dinner line at BTC and was hospitalized with signs of cardiac distress. His son Aaron could not obtain information from facility staff and discovered his father had been admitted under an alias name, "Hank Campbell." Officers transferred Chauhan back to BTC after three days in the hospital. Throughout detention, when he repeatedly asked about his personal possessions including his passport, staff responded with hostile all-caps messages. An officer mocked his name during roll call; the officer was briefly suspended with pay but returned to duty. In mid-May, facility staff informed Chauhan that his passport had been lost, further delaying his deportation. He was deported to the United Kingdom in June.

Maria Gonzalez, a 32-year-old Venezuelan mother, and her two children (ages 7 and 9) were deported to Mexico within hours of being stopped for a traffic violation in Tucson, Arizona on February 15, 2025. Tucson Police conducted an SB-1070 immigration check during the routine traffic stop, leading to expedited deportation by U.S. Border Patrol without court hearings or opportunity to seek asylum.

Mariano, a Venezuelan migrant, fled Border Patrol in Tucson after his wife Yesenia was stopped by police while selling arepas. He hid under a car and was separated from his wife and two children for days. The article chronicles his journey from Venezuela through the Darién Gap and Mexico to the U.S., where he was detained in immigration facilities before facing deportation from Arizona.

Arbella Rodríguez Márquez, a woman with chronic lymphocytic leukemia who held a valid green card for two years, was detained by ICE in February 2025 after returning to Arizona from Mexico. Her green card status was revoked by a federal immigration judge following her detention. She is being held at Eloy Detention Center where advocates say she is receiving inadequate medical care, having lost 55 pounds and coughing up blood while only receiving Tylenol and stomach ulcer medicine.

Colombian migrants deported from the United States under President Trump's administration reported experiencing degrading treatment in detention centers, including cramped conditions, sleep deprivation, and mistreatment during transport. Daniel Vasquez, a 40-year-old migrant, reported being detained for over a week across multiple facilities in San Diego and Texas, transported in chains and handcuffs. The Colombian and Brazilian governments complained of treatment on deportation flights, including denied bathroom breaks. Some migrants reported willingness to attempt returning to the United States.

Arbella "Yari" Rodríguez Márquez, a 39-year-old former legal permanent resident with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, has been detained by ICE at the Eloy Detention Center since February 10, 2025. She has not received proper medical care for her cancer. Her health has deteriorated, including coughing up blood and losing 70 pounds. Detention center staff have denied her requests to see an oncologist and specialist. U.S. Rep. Yassamin Ansari visited the facility and documented conditions. The representative has called for immediate medical intervention and her release.

Micaela Eudave, a 44-year-old Othello woman, was arrested by ICE agents on February 8 while driving to work at her taco truck business. According to court documents, Eudave had no criminal history and was under no deportation orders, though ICE stated agents were in the area searching for a different person. Her arrest has sparked debate about local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities, leading to a lawsuit by Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown against Adams County Sheriff Dale Wagner for allegedly violating the state's "Keep Washington Working" act.

US officials kept approximately 100 deported Indian migrants in shackles for a 40-hour flight back to India, including during bathroom breaks and a refueling stop in Guam. The deportees reported being treated harshly and kept in shackles throughout the journey. Indian lawmakers protested in parliament and opposition parties burned Trump effigies. The incident occurred days before an expected visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the White House.

Harvinder Singh was among 104 Indian nationals deported on a U.S. military C-17 plane to Amritsar, India on February 5, 2025. Singh reported in a video shared by an Indian opposition lawmaker that he was handcuffed and restrained with chains around his feet for 40 hours and was not allowed to move from his seat during the deportation flight. His account prompted Indian lawmakers to call for dignity and humanity in deportation procedures.

ICE, DEA, and FBI conducted a raid on Cedar Run Apartments on February 5, 2025, using battering rams and flashbangs to breach units while searching for drug traffickers and targeting migrant families from Venezuela, Colombia, Haiti, and Central America. The operation relied on approximately two dozen administrative warrants and two judicial warrants, but residents reported not being shown or given copies of warrants, raising Fourth Amendment questions about forced entry procedures. Legal experts disputed whether administrative warrants authorize forced entry, while some officials defended the federal agencies' actions as lawful.

Daler Singh, 37, was among 104 Indian nationals deported on a U.S. military C-17 plane to Amritsar, India on February 5, 2025. Singh reported that he and other deportees were kept in handcuffs and leg chains throughout the entire 18+ hour flight, with restraints not removed even during meals. Indian lawmakers protested in parliament over the alleged mistreatment, with Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar stating that while restraints are standard ICE practice for adult deportees, the conditions raised concerns about the manner of deportation.

Twenty-one Haitian immigrants, including 12 with criminal records, were deported from the United States on February 4, 2025. The deportees, who had been detained during the Biden administration, were received at Cap-Haïtien International Airport. They reported confiscated belongings and minimal reintegration support. Haiti's government provided minimal assistance.

The Trump administration has flown approximately 100 immigrant detainees to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base since February 4, 2025, claiming they are dangerous criminals including gang members. ProPublica and The Texas Tribune identified nearly a dozen Venezuelan immigrants transferred there, and records show at least three had no criminal history except unauthorized entry, or minor charges incurred while detained. The government has refused to release detainees' names or crime details and denied families and attorneys access to the detainees. The ACLU filed a lawsuit arguing the detainees are being denied constitutional rights to legal representation.

A South Carolina man was arrested after a video showed him impersonating an ICE officer and confronting a Latino man in a pickup truck, telling him he would be sent back to Mexico. The arrest was followed by a similar incident at Temple University in Pennsylvania, where three men falsely identified themselves as ICE officers at a residence hall and cookie shop.

Sean Michael-Emmrich Johnson was arrested after turning himself in to Sullivan's Island Police Department for allegedly impersonating an ICE officer in a viral video where he harassed Hispanic men. He faces charges including felony kidnapping, impersonating a law enforcement officer, larceny, and assault and battery. Johnson bonded out of jail after a court appearance where his family cited his mental health challenges and request for treatment.

Alfonso Garcia Vega, a 61-year-old man with health issues including a possible brain tumor, was arrested by ICE agents in a Sunnyslope neighborhood raid on Sunday. ICE deployed an armored truck with a battering ram, at least 12 unmarked vehicles, flash-bang grenades, and dozens of armed agents to arrest him. His son Marco Garcia stated that ICE officers showed his father a picture of a man named Alfonso, but it was not him, and that his father called from an ICE detention center saying the photo did not match his identity. Garcia said his father has multiple health issues and is seeking a diagnosis for a possible tumor. Neighbors described the operation as overly aggressive for a single elderly man.

In New Orleans, ICE called Arely Westley, a trans-Latina immigrant advocate, into the field office after telling her they wanted to offer her less restrictive monitoring in recognition of her community leadership. She was detained when she arrived at her check-in. She had received the Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center annual human rights award in 2024 and was in the process of obtaining a visa for trafficking survivors.

In New Mexico, 10 Las Cruces high school students on their way to a swim meet were confronted by a Border Patrol agent at a permanent interior Border Patrol checkpoint. After the Spanish-speaking driver could not answer the agent's questions in English, the agent boarded the bus and demanded students' papers in Spanish over their coaches' objections. 'Without hesitation he jumped on the bus and didn't ask the adults any more questions. He just started walking in the bus and started yelling in Spanish, demanding documentation from all the passengers,' said Las Cruces High Swim coach Pamela Quiñones. Students were visibly shaken.

In late February 2025, ICE transported several women to Krome North Service Processing Center, a male-only facility, and confined them for days in a tiny cell that grew from 25 to 31 women with a single exposed toilet. The toilet was visible through windows to adjacent rooms housing men. Officers denied the women showers, saying clearing a section was 'not feasible.' Officers refused to provide medications the women had brought, claiming they were not authorized to treat women. A woman with diabetes was hospitalized after being denied insulin. Another with gallstones was denied medication for days until she began vomiting green bile and lost consciousness, requiring emergency gallbladder removal. She was returned to the cell without prescribed medication. A third woman also had to be hospitalized. When all three returned, officers again refused their medications. Only after women posted signs saying they were being treated inhumanely were they taken — shackled — to shower after four days.

Andrea, a 31-year-old woman from Argentina with a Green Card who has lived in the United States since age three, was arrested in February 2025 after calling police during a domestic dispute with her partner. A judge approved her release on $1,000 signature bond, which her family paid, but ICE issued a detainer and transferred her to Krome North. She was shackled on a multi-stop bus journey and spent a night on the bus in shackles when Krome was closed. At Krome, a male-only facility, she was confined in a small visitation room with up to 30 women with no beds, showers, or privacy for the toilet. She was denied medical care and later transferred across the country to Houston Processing Center for two months, where officers repeatedly failed to inform her of court dates and cut off contact with lawyers and family for 48 hours. Andrea was postpartum, having given birth three months before detention and breastfeeding until arrest; her mother relocated to Florida to care for her children. She was released in late April after authorities retrieved documentation of an expunged cannabis conviction.

Gehovani Alvirde Ruiz, a lawful permanent resident, was detained by federal agents in his front yard on February 1, 2025. Agents claimed both his Social Security card and permanent residency card were fake and transported him to an immigration detention center where he was placed in a cell. After approximately two hours, agents released him, stating there had been an error in their system. Ruiz testified in the Venegas lawsuit regarding his experience.

A Puerto Rican family of U.S. citizens, including a toddler, was wrongfully detained by ICE in Milwaukee after being overheard speaking Spanish while shopping. The family was transported to a detention center before officials acknowledged the error and apologized. After presenting official documents proving their citizenship, they were released but left to arrange their own transportation home.

Jose Alvaro, an undocumented immigrant from Central America applying for a green card, was detained by ICE after a Lubbock police officer pulled him over for a license plate issue and called federal immigration authorities. The traffic stop has left his U.S. citizen wife Ashley and their three U.S.-born children facing deportation proceedings. Advocates have noted that routine police interactions can lead to deportations.

ICE agents arrested Wilson Rogelio Velasquez Cruz outside Iglesia Fuente de Vida church in Tucker on Sunday while he was attending service with his family. Velasquez Cruz, who had a valid five-year work permit and was employed at a tire shop, had been wearing an immigration GPS ankle monitor since seeking asylum from Honduras two years ago. His wife expressed concern about the family's future and reported that her husband will be transferred to Stewart Detention Center and deported without the ability to appeal to a judge.

U.S. citizens, including Native Americans and a military veteran, have been detained and questioned during Trump administration immigration raids. Witnesses report that those caught in ICE operations are being targeted based on race or skin color, with Navajo Nation citizens experiencing particularly problematic encounters. The seafood wholesaler owner in Newark reported that ICE targeted certain types of people while ignoring white and Portuguese workers.

The Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network received a stop-work order from the Trump administration after its federal funding was paused, affecting programs that provide legal orientation and rights information to migrants in immigration proceedings. The Colorado-based nonprofit, which receives approximately 25% of its funding from the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security, argues the federally-funded programs benefit taxpayers by helping people navigate the immigration court system more efficiently. RMIAN has received federal support for about 20 years under multiple administrations and contends that investment in legal orientation reduces costs associated with detention and prolonged court proceedings.

Bryan José Rojas Galofre, a Venezuelan immigrant married to a U.S. citizen, was detained by ICE on January 27, 2025, following a security checkpoint stop at Trump National Doral hotel during a honeymoon trip. Agents discovered an airsoft gun and marijuana grinder in his vehicle, leading to local drug paraphernalia charges and questioning about gang ties based on his tattoos. Despite an immigration judge granting him bond in April 2025, Rojas remained in federal detention until his release on May 6, 2025. His nearly three-month detention resulted in job loss, expiration of his work permit, loss of his home and vehicle, depletion of retirement savings, over $80,000 in debt, and significant family financial hardship. His immigration case remains pending with a hearing scheduled for 2028.

Abel Orozco, a 47-year-old who has lived in suburban Chicago for 30 years and owns a tree-cutting business, was arrested by ICE on January 26 while driving home from picking up tamales for his family. According to his attorney, Orozco has no criminal record and arrived in the U.S. in the late 1990s under a legal work petition, though he was given a removal order in 2004 after visiting his father in Mexico. ICE officers apprehended him without a warrant, searching for his oldest son who shares the same name. Orozco has been detained in Kentucky for nearly six months facing expedited deportation. His family has missed mortgage payments and his younger son struggles to maintain his father's business while his wife fights breast cancer. Orozco is among 22 detainees alleging that immigration agents violated federal law and a 2022 settlement by arresting them without proper warrants or proof of flight risk, with a motion filed challenging the legality of the arrests.

Pavlo Mykolayovych Zinkevych, a 37-year-old Ukrainian man with lawful status under the Uniting for Ukraine program, was arrested by Frisco Police on January 26, 2025, for a minor traffic violation and suspected DWI. Despite holding valid legal status, a valid I-94, and a pending Temporary Protected Status application, ICE detained him for over three months and threatened deportation to war-torn Ukraine. An immigration judge stated she believed Zinkevych should not be detained, but lacks jurisdiction to order his release, while DHS maintains authority over his case and has remained unresponsive to legal requests.

A 37-year-old Raleigh man was arrested after allegedly kidnapping and raping a woman at a Motel 6 while impersonating an ICE agent and threatening to deport her if she did not have sex with him. The suspect, Carl Thomas Bennett, showed a fake business card with a badge and is facing charges including kidnapping, second-degree rape, and impersonating a law enforcement officer.

Brazil's government responded after 88 of its nationals arrived in the country handcuffed following their deportation from the United States. The Brazilian government called the treatment degrading and a flagrant disregard for fundamental rights and demanded an explanation from Washington. Colombia announced it would not allow US deportation flights to land in the country, turning away military aircraft carrying deported migrants.

Brazilian migrants deported from the United States arrived at Belo Horizonte International Airport on January 25, 2025, reporting abuse, threats, and degrading treatment by U.S. immigration agents during their deportation flight. The deportees reported they were handcuffed for 50 hours without air conditioning, subjected to poor conditions, and opened an emergency door to alert Brazilian authorities. The Brazilian government requested explanations from the Trump administration regarding the treatment of the passengers.

Daniel Oquendo, 33, crossed the U.S.-Mexico border on January 20, 2025, and was apprehended in San Diego. He was placed on a U.S. military C-130 flight with handcuffs as part of a planned deportation to Colombia, but Colombian President Gustavo Petro blocked the landing of two military flights carrying about 200 deportees in early January, objecting to their treatment and the use of military aircraft. After being turned around mid-flight and spending a night in El Paso, Oquendo was finally repatriated to Colombia on a civilian aircraft sent by the Colombian government on January 28.